Dale L. Compton

Dr. Dale L. Compton served as the sixth Ames Center Director, from December 20, 1989 to January 28, 1994.

He had already served in an acting capacity twice, first between February 1, 1988 to February 1, 1989 and then from July 15, 1989 until his formal appointment on the 50th anniversary of Ames on December 20, 1989.

Compton’s professional career at Ames included serving as a research scientist for 15 years, publishing over 25 papers on aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic subjects. He also served as Deputy Director for Astronautics, Chief of the Space Science Division, Manager of the IRAS Telescope Project office, and Director of Engineering and Computer Systems at Ames.

Compton was educated at Stanford University where he received a B.S. degree in 1957, an M.S. in 1958 and a Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering in 1969. He was a Sloan Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1974 to 1975 and attended the Harvard Advanced Management Program in 1986. He received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.